Clothes-pin.



No. 835,757. 7 PATENTED NOV..13, 1906.

0. J. INGBRSOLL.

CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12. 1906.

Snvcnto'a 6'11 [Wye/ 00d];

W attozmzgd gage with the clothes-line.

CHARLES J. INGERSOLL, OF'HOUSTON, TEXAS.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1906.

3 Application filed January 12, 1906. Serial No. 295.770-

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. lnennsoLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and ,useful Im 'rovements in Clothes-Pins, ofwhich the fol owing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in that ty eof clothes-pins which are so constructenf as to automatically lock themselves against accidental disengagement from the clothes-line when laced in osition thereon; and the primary 0 ject of t e invention is to provide a clothes-pin of this character which is peculiarly designed so as to be very economically manufactured from a single piece of spring material.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details ofconstruction of.

the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showingthe preferred form of the invention. Fig. 2 is a face view of the same, showing the springarms in the position assumed when the pin is being applied to a clothes-line.

Corresponding and-like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in 'both views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The clothes-pin is designed to be constructed of a single piece of spring-wire which is bent upon itself at an intermediate point to form an inverted-U-shaped member adapted to fit over the clothesdine, the two downwardly-extending sides of the inverted-U- shaped member forming the outer or main spring-arms 2 of the clothes-pin. These main spring-arms 2 are spaced from each other and have their lower ends bent inwardly and upwardly to form two inner spring members 3, which are adapted to en The upper ends of the two inner spring members 3 extend beyond the cross-piece connecting the upper ends of the main spring-arms 2, one of the ends of the inner spring members 3 being looped to form a handle 4 for the manipula tion of the clothes-pin, while the end of the opposite inner spring men'ibcr 3 is bent at approximately right angles to the plane of the clothes-pin and extends along the clothesline 5, seen at 6. The extremity of the member 6 is formed with an eye 7, through which the clothes-line is passed in order to loosely connect the in to the line in such a manner that it can e readily moved to any desired point upon the line, but cannot become lost. Attention is called to the fact that the'lower ends of the inner spring members 3 flare outwardly at 8, and thus form a mouth the sides of which lead the clothesline between the two spring-jaws of the pin.

The main spring-arms 2 and the inner spring-arms 3 of the clothes-pin bear such a relation to each other that when the line is at the lower end of the pin, as shown in Fig. 2, the main spring-arms 2 are forced apart, the upper ends of the inner s rin -arp1s 3 being in engagement with eac 0t er However, as the clothes-pin is pushed down upon the line the main. spring-arms come together and assume their normal position, and the upper ends of the inner s r1ng-arms are forced apart. When the clot es-line comes into contact with the cross-bar connecting the upper ends of the main spring-arms .2, it will be observed that the lower ends of the inner spring-arms 3 come into,'contact with each other, as shown in Fig. 1, This construction has the advantage of automatically locking the clothes-pin upon the line, so as to hold it against accidental displacement.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the connecting member 6 is a right-angle continuation of one of the inner spring members 3 and that it extends over the transversely-extending portion or bow 3 in substantial contact therewith. Hence as the clothes pin is grasped by the handle portion 4 to' insert it over a'clothcs-line or remove it therefrom the connectingmember 6 at its bend 6 will tend to scrape along how 3 and one of the spring-arms 2 in' the opening and closing action of the two spring members 3, thereby assistii-ig in the secure locking action of the device. a This function becomes all the more apparent when it is considered that the loo clothes-pin is inserted over the line and removed therefrom by grasping the handle portion 4. Ilencc all of the resiliency or yielding action must be provided for by that spring member 3 member 0 is a continuation, because the other member 3 of which the liaiidle 4; 'is a continuation is held in ones fingers and is prevented from yielding.

Having thus described the invention, What 1 10 is claimed as new is As an improved article of manufacture, the

ofwhich the connecting 1o 5 herein-deseribed clothes-pin, the same consisting of a single piece of wire bowed intermediate its ends to produce two main parallel members 2, said members being extended inwardly and returned upon themselves whereby to produce two spring members 3, one of said spring members being extended straight above a bowed portion of the wire and looped to form a handle 4, while the other spring member 3 is continued beyond the bowed portion in a direction at right angles to the spring members and. for a greater length than the other continued portion which forms a handle 4 whereby to produce I CHARLES J. INGERSOLL. [L. s.] Witnesses:

T. O. ROWE, D. F. ROWE. 

